All the Food You Should Eat in Pai, Thailand

If you go to Thailand, you’re going to eat great food no matter what. I mean, they really know how to make a good Pad Thai and it’s hard to mess up fried rice. But when I went to Pai, Thailand, I thought the food was out of this world. Thanks to the daily night market, there’s a ton of variation for things to eat. And it’s all made right in front of you (aka street food). So the food reporter in me needs to share all of this epic food with you!

Here’s all the food you need to try if you go to Pai. And this is seriously not all of it (just everything I happened to put in mah belly).

Brekky at The House

If you love breakfast, you’ll love Pai. The town has a plethora of great brekky spots and my favorite is at The House (original name, huh?). Honestly, it was just a standard meal of avo toast, but I liked how simple and tasty it was. I highly recommend seeking this place out to start your day.

Lunch at Nong Beer

Every. Single. Day. I have no shame in saying that we went here every day. I know you’re supposed to try new places when you’re on a vacation, but this place stole my heart. Every item I ate on the menu wowed me. I mean I was so involved in the food when it was placed in front of me that a meteor could have landed 10 feet away and I wouldn’t have noticed. If you get one thing on the menu, get…

Khao Soi

Fucking yes. I kid you not, I think about this meal every single day.

Khao Soi is the type of food that you accidentally eat super fast because you’re scared that if you look away from the plate it will disappear. It’s a simple Burmese influenced dish that’s popular in Northern Thailand and Laos.

It’s made with boiled, hand-cut yellow egg noodles, coconut milk, curry soup base and chicken or beef garnished with crunchy fried noodles. It’s served with a side plate of pickled mustard greens, halved shallots, and a lime for you to embellish the dish at your heart’s desire. It smells spicy, but it’s not. It holds the type of heat that lingers on your lips and produces a slight, glowing sweat across your forehead. Anyways, I’m drooling just thinking about it. I’ve had the best bowl of noodles in Thailand and I can die happy now.

Fried Dumplings

At the night market, there’s this gyoza stand that cranks out the freshest fried dumplings. Get pork, chicken, and vegetable because they’re all good. Just…eat slowly. They’re really hot!

Coconut Cake

Damn, these little cakes are addicting to eat. I know it’s a dessert, but I definitely had it for a meal. It’s little circular cake pods made out of condensed coconut milk so it’s gooey on the inside and pancake-like on the outside. Sprinkle some sugar on it and you got yourself a sweet treat.

Black Sticky Rice

Yeah…it’s black. And it’s surprisingly sweet! A handful of sticky rice is rolled out into a flat pancake and placed over a charcoal grill. Once it’s warmed up, it’s cut up into little pieces and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Another sweet treat that I ate for my main meal.

Banana Roti

Rotis, YES. This is a dish from India, but Thailand puts its own spin on it. It’s a really thin flatbread that you can put things in, like a banana. It sounds like a crepe but it’s sweeter and lighter. I’m all about banana roti with honey. Nomz.

Banana, Nutella, and Chocolate Chip Crepe

I know, I know. That’s double chocolate. I ordered this because I thought I said peanut butter, but I was looking at the Nutella jar, whoops (does that happen to anyone else?!). I didn’t realize what I said until the lady was slathering my crepe with Nutella and I was like, whelp! Bring on the chocolate chips. Turned out to be a bomb ass crepe and I would order it again like that. No shame.

Banana Spring Rolls

Banana! Yeah, I really got into banana while I stayed in Pai. It’s everywhere! Even in spring rolls, which sounds funky, but it’s actually quite nice. Adds a little sweetness to the fried veg.

Banana Fruit Shake

Mmhmm. Not giving up banana anytime soon. Fruit shakes are pretty popular in Thailand and just getting a simple banana shake with water and ice is a refreshing snack. I tried coconut and mango too, but banana wins my heart.

Avocado Ice Cream

I actually didn’t try this because I’m lactose intolerant and I’m not sure how this is made (also, not in the mood for an upset stomach). BUT I saw a sign for avocado ice cream and thought it looked really good! I’m kicking myself because I’m wondering how it tastes! Avocado ice cream… would you try it?

Samosas

Loveee a good samosa. I found a stand at the night market that made them right in front of you. They’re a little heavy, yes, but the curry filling with potatoes and vegetables is just too good. If you don’t pull me away from these, I’ll keep eating them.

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Welcome to Marina's Milestones. I'm just a 24-year old girl trying to navigate the real world one quarter-life crisis at a time. Living by the motto: when's the last time you did something for the first time? I created this blog as a no-filter journal of my misadventures. I hope that by sharing my unconventional (somewhat funny) experiences with you that you'll feel inspired to tackle world, one milestone at a time. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!